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On March 16, the City of Kigali launched activities to reinvigorate the capital’s car-free zone – located in the Central Business District – into a green and recreational public space with more attractive features.

According to city authorities, the area will also be rebranded to Imbuga City Walk and works are expected to be complete by May 2021.

Expected to cost Rwf6 billion as earlier announced, Imbuga City Walk will also have street benches and free WiFi, city lounge and arcade, pedestrian-friendly street lamps and public toilets.

Ongoing construction activities to reinvigorate the capital’s car-free zone into a green and recreational public space. Photo: Courtesy.

The space will also have pedestrian and cycling lanes, green corridor landscaping, a food court, an exhibition zone and a children play area among others.

The tarmac road of what was formerly KN 4 Street, has been demolished and replaced with pavers and stones and the project has to be executed with locally sourced construction materials, according to Marie-Solange Muhirwa, Chief of Urban Planning at the City of Kigali.

She said that the private sector will also leverage the spaces to generate income and as well boost sales of the already-existing businesses around the area that was declared car-free in 2015.

However, the city official said that the capital still faces a huge shortage of green and recreational public spaces.

"We have the newly completed city hall public space. Now we are going to add Imbuga City Walk in the car free zone. We need more public spaces like these where people and visitors can sit and enjoy. Therefore we have to gradually increase public spaces that are green and recreational,” she said.

She said that authorities have already received petitions from the public suggesting that more roads be repurposed and turned into recreational public spaces in different parts of the city.

"Some businesses suggest the roads where we can set car free zones as recreational public spaces. However, we are still assessing such zones if it cannot cause problems to traffic. We will do this in the second phase.

We have to get public views and assess the possibility of creating more such spaces. We are working with business people, partners so that we do it jointly,” she said.

Some of the streets that have been said should be dedicated a car-free zone include the stretch at Kisementi area, from around Rosty Bar (behind Ecobank) up to Zigama-CSS headquarters.

The busy area is known to have many bars, restaurants and liquor stores.

However, there were concerns by business operators in the area that declaring it car free will drive human traffic away from the area.

Muhirwa said that the city has also been greening some roundabouts to be used as recreational public spaces besides other projects that include Nyandungu and Gikondo recreational spaces.

Much more still needed

Experts say public spaces require careful collaboration among local authorities, local inhabitants, and other actors.

They say public spaces can also provide basic services, enhance connectivity, boost economic activity, and raise property values while generating municipal revenues.

Josephine Malonza, an architect, urban designer and researcher in public spaces in relation to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), suggests enough public spaces in cities.

SDG number 11 calls for making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

It has a specific provision on universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities by 2030 considering that well planned and designed public spaces could ensure that urban development responds to climate change and promotes safety, inclusivity, and public health.

Urban Planning Code in Rwanda recommends that at least 5 percent of urban residential areas should also be allocated to public spaces and facilities.

However, she said that so far, Kigali city hasn’t even got one percent with public spaces according to studies.

She said, more strategies and investments should be devised to create public spaces.

"I have seen the City Hall public space as standard facility with needed features in the city. The Imbuga City Walk in the car free zone is another step to show a model of how things should be done,” she said.

She said that the master plan has suggested public spaces in other small centres such as Gisimenti, Gisozi and others.

However, she said there is still a challenge because most of the land is private land which requires strategies to secure land.

"Until government comes up with strategies to acquire some land, we can have more places for public spaces,” she said.

She said the city can also look at available state land such as recreational wetlands to create more public spaces.

"Although we need to protect wetlands, after we have rescued them from human activity, REMA might allow a few urban planners to do something that does not create problems to the wetland and also allow some recreational activities,” she said.

Jean Baptiste Nsengiyumva, a researcher in disaster risk analysis and urban housing, said that considering the population increase in Kigali city, implementation of the master plan should guide the way of settlement in a way that saves places for public spaces or recreational spaces.

"Where it is needed, people can be expropriated to have public spaces because most of the land is private owned land. People should also build vertically to have more spaces for other activities such as public spaces,” he said.